![]() The word “image,” the Hebrew tselem, refers to concrete idols made as icons of the god they represent and placed in a temple. But such an understanding locates imago dei in our character, not our very identities. Our character has been blackened, darkened, so that his glory no longer shines brightly except possibly from those who are very holy. Not destroyed it completely, but so messed it up that we no longer resemble God very closely. Perhaps you’ve heard that sin has defaced or damaged the image of God in humanity. With his icons-his representatives or regents-in place, God launched them into the world to rule and reign on his behalf. Only when the woman joins the rest of creation is it “very good” (Gen 1:31). So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them male and female he created them. His words reflect the narrator’s description of creation in Genesis 1:27, ![]() Despite her physical differences, he discerned her sameness with himself. She was his counterpart, another human, made from his own essence. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” (Gen 2:23)Įven in the Hebrew word for man ( ish) and woman ( isha), we see the wordplay the man was using. When the man awoke from his deep, supernatural sleep and saw the woman, he knew she was like him: The man’s aloneness is the only thing that prompted God to describe his creation as “not good” (2:18). In the Genesis 2 creation story, the man realized he did not have a counterpart in the way the animals did. Carmen Imes writes, “Although our status as God’s image may lead to certain actions, ‘image’ is not something we do, but who we are.” 2 Partners We often refer to ourselves as “image-bearers” or as having been “created in God’s image.” These phrases serve us well enough, but God’s image is not truly something we carry or wear. ![]() The image of God is an indelible identity marker of humans. We are family Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia), Italy, 1445 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number fill the earth and subdue it. ![]() Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them male and female he created them. He fashioned us as the pinnacle of all creation-his image, or icon, representing him on the earth to accomplish his purposes. The pernicious lie of our culture is “you are not good enough.” But God says differently. One of the primary culprits? Social media-an easy means for constant comparison driving a sense of inadequacy, and by which predators, bullies, and insecure classmates can victimize others. Young women are experiencing tragic levels of emotional trauma, physical abuse, and sexual violence. Nearly a third of high school girls in the US confessed to contemplating suicide, 1 a 60 percent rise in the last decade. Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email LinkedIn ![]()
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